The art of the long jump: Why girls in Southwest Florida are among the best in the state
Shamoya Clemetson never had a moment to rest during the district track meet at South Fort Myers High School last month.
The Barron Collier sophomore started the day jumping in the sand pits, where she won her best event, the long jump.
Clemetson proceeded to compete in the 100 and 300 hurdles, placing second and first, respectively, and concluded the long day running in the 4x400 relay. She set personal records in each event, including her split in the relay.
Such is the day in the life of one of the elite long jumpers in the Southwest Florida, which happens to be brimming with talent.
St. John Neumann senior Leah Martin-Gonzales is the defending champion in the event at the Class 1A state meet, where she also won gold in the 100 hurdles last year.
Clemetson and Lehigh’s Sanaa Geter reached the podium as freshmen last year with Clemetson placing seventh in Class 3A and Geter coming in second in Class 4A.
All three athletes won multiple district titles this season and look poised to shine deep into the postseason, particularly in the long jump.
“It’s my best event, so I like to see how far I can really get in it,” Clemetson said.
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Launching a career in track
Clemetson, whose father played soccer, started in track and field when she was 3. Her love of the competition is what has kept her passionate about the sport.
“It gives me something— to really work for it and push for it,” she said.
Clemetson said it was her coaches who identified her penchant for the long jump.
Melissa Jackson, the Cougars girls' track coach, noted there are certain traits in athletes that make for formidable leapers.
“I think speed and getting to top speed in a short distance makes a really good long jumper,” she said.
With Clemetson, it was obvious to Jackson that she possessed something beyond her athletic gifts. She described Clemetson’s knack for figuring things out quickly when trying new events or techniques.
“She’s just athletic, and she can watch something and decide she wants to do it and pick it up pretty easily and naturally,” Jackson said.
Jackson, who coached Darlene Charles to five state medals at Golden Gate, said she believes in Clemetson’s promise.
They are aiming for a top-three finish at states and even bigger things in the young athlete’s future.
“I think she can win a state championship,” Jackson said. “I mean, she’s that quality of an athlete to be able to do it without a doubt.”
Past jumps and future goals
Last year’s state meet brought up bittersweet memories for Clemetson.
She recalled feeling scared and in pain from patellar tendinitis in both knees.
“I started crying,” Clemetson recalled. “I cried to my coaches. I’m like, I don’t want to do this. Just jitters. And they told me, like, you go to go out there you got to finish.”
It was Clemetson’s last jump that allowed her to clinch her first state medal. “It’s like, I did so good, but if I didn’t really have my coaches there, it wouldn’t have worked out for me,” she said.
The 2021 state meet was a golden day for Martin-Gonzales, who described the “amazing feeling” that came from victories in the long jump and 100 hurdles, which only motivate her more for this year.
Martin-Gonzales started in track in seventh grade. She recalled competing in the sand pits with seniors as a freshman.
“Ever since then, I’ve kind of fallen in love with long jumping,” she said.
Geter began in track when she was 5. She said she knew she was gifted at long jump when she hit 18 feet in elementary school.
She described winning silver at states last year as “shocking” and is eyeing the top of the podium in Gainesville this year.
To thrive in the long jump, “you got to have your mindset you got to have your speed,” Geter said.
Health is an important aspect too, as Clemetson knows all too well.
“Some days, it’s like it’s not there,” Jackson said. “Other days, it’s apparent that it’s painful. I think this year, I feel like she’s been much healthier. She’s been a lot more consistent, even meet to meet to meet.”
Clemetson explained that she was jumping in the wrong shoes last year, and a new pair have made things better.
“Everything’s pretty good now,” she said.
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The art of the long jump
How does one prepare themselves to launch themselves off the ground as far as they can go? It’s a combination of physical and mental prowess.
After stretching and dynamic warm-ups, those moments before taking off on the runway can be filled with nerves.
“When I’m on the runway I just focus on my breathing while I wait for the sand to be raked,” Martin-Gonzales said.
She described going “one foot as a time”, taking every step as fast as she can and letting the momentum of her running carry her to the takeoff. There, Martin-Gonzales raises her chest to the sky before landing in the sand.
It is important not to overthink, according to Geter.
“The worst thing you can do is scratch all your jumps,” she said.
Long jumpers can often tell before the measurement how their jump went.
“I know I’m going to get a good jump based on my run-up because you hear the sound of it,” Clemetson said.
Competing in the hurdles can be beneficial — Martin-Gonzales, Geter and Clemetson are all decorated with first-place finishes in hurdles throughout their careers.
For Martin-Gonzales, the focus on her steps is consistent in both events.
“I can only thank hurdles for giving me that discipline,” she said.
For Clemetson, it allows her to improve her technique.
“What I really do have to work on — bringing my leg around in hurdles, it’s really the same motion the same motion here for long jump, and that’s where I struggle with sometimes is not extending my legs completely, and so I lost distance on jumps,” she said.
The feeling a long jumper gets after a great leap is like nothing else, Geter said.
“It’s like ants in your pants,” she said. “You can’t sit down.”
“But can you do that same thing again?”
'So much talent' in Southwest Florida
Many young athletes don’t go into track and field expecting to compete in the jumps.
Jackson explained she often has dozens of students competing for a few entries in the 100- or 200-meter dashes compared to fewer jumpers.
“Probably a few years ago, long jump was an area where if you didn’t really have a niche in something, hey, you can go try long jumping, and they found success with it,” she said.
In Jackson’s view, that has trickled down, which is why the area is seeing more girls among the best in the state.
“Once they see certain athletes be really successful, it kind of opens the door,” she said.
Clemetson doesn’t know Geter and Martin-Gonzales personally but is aware of the strong talent in the area.
“I haven’t competed against Leah in the long jump, but I have competed against Sanaa – she’s really good,” Clemetson said. “I think it’s just these girls have so much talent.”
The long jump, and other field events, are also unique in that the competition is not right alongside you.
“You’re competing against yourself and for yourself, so I think that’s a good motivator for athletes that need that,” Jackson said.
In addition, the long jump can accommodate different body types. Charles, who holds several school records at Golden Gate and ran track at Miami, was under 5-feet tall, while Clemetson is about 5-foot-6.
There is no one way to make a champion in the long jump.
“It’s once they’ve developed a technique that works for them and the explosiveness, it takes your body where you want it,” Jackson said.
Follow News-Press Sports Reporter Dustin Levy on Twitter: @DustinBLevy. For additional coverage of sports across Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Why girls long jumpers in SW FL are among the best in Florida
